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How to Buy Jewelry Online
Jewelry online sales is one of the fastest growing
categories of online businesses. Everything from the
hobby homemade beaded jewelry to exquisite designer
jewelry worth thousands of dollars can be found through
Google.
Often you can find fine jewelry is available online
for up to 50 percent less than what you'd pay retail.
The seller has so much less overhead and thus can
offer better prices. However, for such a large investment
you'll want to be sure you're buying from a trusted
and reliable source - and that you have done enough
homework to make a smart decision. Since there are
hundreds of choices on line, probably millions, finding
that website you can trust can seem overwhelming.
The first indication to me is the quality of the actual
website. Does it look professional? Are the graphics
professional? And I check the find print – are
the dates on the bottom up to date or does it say
copyright 2004? I won’t do business with a company
that cannot keep their site up to day as I wonder
if their customer service is also behind the times.
Next, I usually check to see what their shipping policy
is states. If I can’t find any such policy,
I quickly hit the exit button. I want to know how
they ship to me and for what amount.
Here's just a few pointers to consider when buying
jewelry from a website.
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Be sure to familiarize yourself
with how to measure quality in gold, diamonds
or other items you may wish to purchase. By
knowing the difference between carats and
karats you will understand what it is they
are selling. |
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Educate yourself but browsing
other sites for information about jewelry.
Some sites offer jewelry made by known manufacturers
while others have their own jewelers that
make the pieces for sale. |
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Enter the word "jewelry"
in a search engine such as Google or Yahoo.
If desired, enter more specific words such
as "rings," "diamonds"
or "gold." You might also consider
the international spellings of the words as
the British spell it as jewellery and Canadians
use either spelling. The information on these
site is just as valid, even if the word jewelry
is spelled as jewellery. |
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If you are confident that
the site is secure and reputable, browse the
categories and product galleries to see all
they have to offer. Key works like "diamonds,"
"gold," "watches," "rings,"
are great or do a site search using the key
words if you are looking for something specific
such as "gold watch," "diamond
ring," and so on. |
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If you find a piece that interests
you, you may have to click its image to make
it larger so you can get a better look. While
this may not be as exciting as seeing the
piece in person, it should give you a very
good idea of what the jewelry looks like. |
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Always verify what certificates
are given, if any. This is especially important
if you are purchasing diamonds. |
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When you are ready to purchase,
be sure to read their information on guarantees,
secure ordering and returns. A piece of jewelry
is a major investment, and you want to be
sure your purchase is guaranteed. Also, is
your purchase price refundable if you want
to return the item? |
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Once your place your order,
always pay extra attention to sizes and other
options offered. For example, do you want
the diamond set in a yellow gold or white
gold band? Or what is the ring size you want.
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A Few Final Tips
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You might want
to visit your local jewelry store
to look at different qualities
of silver and gold as well as
the precious gems. Be sure to
try something on, especially if
you see something similar to what
you were looking at online. This
will give you an idea of size
and other features of fine jewelry.
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Be sure to think
about the fact that no matter
how clearly a picture of jewelry
shows on your computer monitor,
it is not the same as handling
the jewelry or trying it on before
buying. Therefore, it is particularly
important to check online sites'
guarantees and return policies.
You may not consider it’s
important, but it could be extremely
significant if you are not happy
with the item once you see it.
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If you end up
with a piece of jewelry you bought
online that you do not want, it
is imperative to know that most
items often must be returned within
a limited amount of time so do
not wait to make your return.
However, although your purchase
price may be refunded, in most
case, the insurance, shipping
and handling charges are usually
not refundable. |
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